The male march, between pride and disappointment

The Spanish march has lived the 20-kilometer march between pride and disappointment. Alvaro Martín was fourth and Diego García sixth. The Spanish march always responds and has shown it again in the Tokyo Games, but the Spanish athletes have been left with the bitter taste of seeing a podium escape that they have had until practically the end of the competition. Always located in the leading group, attentive to the cuts and the strategies of the rivals, they have seen themselves off the podium with the attack of the Italian Massimo Stano, who has been gold, and of the pair of Japanese marchers who with that attack on Two kilometers to go have put an end to the hopes of the Spanish duo.

In spite of everything Álvaro Martín has kept the faith until the end because he has seen that the Japanese Yamanishi got off the hook and there a door to the podium was opened again. However, there was very little left to reach the finish line and the loss of the Japanese has not been as violent as the Extremaduran would have wanted, who has remained 18 seconds from the dream of the Olympic podium. At 29 of that bronze, Diego García made his entry, in this test where the Spanish have known how to adapt to the hot and humid conditions of these 20-kilometer march transferred to Sapporo, north of Japan.

Having the podium so close has left Alvaro Martín very touched, who has acknowledged in statements to the Cope that “I am trying not to cry but this fourth place, this chocolate medal, is made of very bitter chocolate. It is very angry to be so close », explained the Extremaduran walker who has admitted that« the first three have been superior today and it only remains to congratulate them, and then again clearly show the symptoms of a huge disappointment for not having been able to reach at least the bronze.

“The first thing I felt when crossing the finish line was a bit of disappointment, because I have squeezed myself to the maximum, but then I thought ‘that one percent is missing, damn it, to achieve a medal if it is only 18 seconds, less than a second per kilometer ‘. But hey, in three years we have another chance for this team to fight for the medals, ”said Martín.

Diego García, for his part, has confessed «a little disappointed to have the medal so close, but it is one of the things that we have been warning about, that it is possible to have a good race without taking a medal because it also depends on others and there are ten or twelve athletes that we are candidates ».